Tag Archives: Star Wars

#3140: Bo-Katan Kryze

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

BO-KATAN KRYZE

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“Bo-Katan Kryze has been fighting for the future of Mandalore since the Clone Wars. The last of her line, she leads a team of Clan Kryze Mandalorians striking back at the Imperial remnant”

Remember back in 2021, when Bo-Katan was a prominent character with no toy coverage?  Man, that really turned around fast, huh?  Now getting a Bo-Katan figure feels all blasé.  As I mentioned the last time I reviewed her, much like sand, she’s coarse and she gets everywhere.  And that includes the Retro Collection.  Though, to be fair, she hasn’t had one of those, and with it being so Mando-focused, it’s hard to blame them.  So, I guess we’ll dive into that.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bo-Katan Kryze is the second to last of the six figures in the second mass-release assortment of the Star Wars: Retro Collection line.  She’s also the third of the four Mandalorians included in the line-up, and the fourth Bo-Katan figure from Hasbro.  The figure stands a little under 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation. She’s another all-new sculpt, inspired specifically by her appearance in the second season of The Mandalorian, but there’s enough vagueness there that she can work for other looks too, should they ever gay around to working any of the other animation characters into this style. Her sculpt has her helmet as a permanent fixture for the figure. The vintage line didn’t really do removable headgear, so it tracks. That said, there’s a part of me that wonders if maybe they should have gone unmasked for her, just to at the very least mix up the look for the assortment just a little bit. But who knows how exactly Kenner would have handled it. Whatever the case, it’s still a pretty cool look, and the sculpt handles it well, hitting that midpoint between her on-screen look and the vintage Fett sculpt that’s inspired all of this line’s Mandos.  Unlike the original Fett, her range finder is all the way up, rather than the partial bend.  It’s still really short, but more in line with how Power of the Force II handled it.  The paint work on Bo-Katan is probably one of the most tweaked, for that vintage set-up.  Since the vintage line was dealing with much more limited applications, so is this figure.  So, she doesn’t get much detailing on her mid-section.  The most impressive work is definitely on the helmet, which gets the full assortment of detailing for her unique markings.  Bo-Katan is packed with a pair of blaster pistols, which are kind of comedically sized, just as they should be.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Bo-Katan is a somewhat frustrating character, I suppose, but she does make for a good toy.  And, given how far reaching she is, I suppose the toy treatment makes sense.  With the heavier Mando-focus of this assortment, she’s a natural fit.  The figure does alright with the vintage style, and, even just as a generic Mando, she’s still pretty fun.  I’d love to see a Koska and Axe to go with her.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3139: Ahsoka Tano

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

AHSOKA TANO

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“A Clone Wars veteran and now wandering Jedi, Ahsoka Tano forges her own path in the galaxy, righting injustices that she discovers”

Though not particularly well-received when she first debuted in The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano has become one of the franchise’s most consistent through lines, and a definite fan-favorite. Season 2 of The Mandalorian finally brought the character to live action, and that led to a follow-up in The Book of Boba Fett as well as her on spin-off show, which is currently in the works. She’s currently kind of rolling in the toy coverage, and today I’m taking a look at her Retro Collection figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

 Ahsoka is another of the six figures in the second mass-release assortment of the Star Wars: Retro Collection line. She’s notably the only non-helmeted figure in this assortment, which is a fun little side note. The figure stands just shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation. The motion on the neck is a little bit restricted, but otherwise the mobility is the same as the rest of the line. The sculpt is all-new, and does a very nice job of dialing in on her appearance as it would be in the vintage line. The broadest of the details are all still present, but dumbed down a bit, as they would have been back in the day.  It works out pretty well overall.  The paint work is likewise pulled back a bit, compared to, say, the Black Series release.  The grey becomes a bit more present, and the blue detailing on the head tails is simpler.  Even the gloves are full, instead of being fingerless like in the show.  Ahsoka is packed with her two lightsabers, reworked to look like the ESB and RotJ Luke sabers, albeit with her distinctive curved handles.  They’re also all white, as well as being two different lengths, as they should be.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Ahsoka’s a pretty important character these days, and I’ve enjoyed her OT-adjacent role as of late.  Getting an OT-adjacent figure seems pretty appropriate for the direction the character is headed.  This one’s a pretty good one.  It hits the right notes, and it, like the rest of the series, is just pretty fun.  And, really, what more can you ask for from a Star Wars toy.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3138: The Armorer

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

THE ARMORER

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“The Armorer plays a vital role in keeping the culture of the Mandalorians alive. She forges beskar armor in the ancient tradition of her people”

The first series of Mandalorian-themed Retro Collection figures was very much focused on getting a diverse selection of rather distinct figures released.  As such, some of the more memorable looks, even from Season 1, were omitted, on the basis of presumably not wanting a bunch of similarly themed figures.  Series 2, which is more based around the show’s second season, is a bit more comfortable with having, for instance, no less than four figures wearing some form of Mando helmet.  For the first non-Din of those figures, I’m actually looking at our one truly Season 1 figure from the set, the Armorer.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Armorer is part of the six-figure second Mando-themed series of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  Much like Greef Karga was the first assortment’s only Season 2 figure, she’s the only Season 1 figure present here.  While she’s of course shown back up since, she hadn’t when the figure was announced.  The figure stands just over 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  As a later addition to an earlier set, the Armorer seems to follow the late-run Kenner styling, a la Stormtrooper Luke.  She’s a more detailed and refined looking figure, which feels more appropriate for this particular design.  This is aided by the presence of a soft-goods “cape” piece, which straps over the figure’s shoulders.  I really like it.  It adds a lot to the figure’s overall presence and design.  Her coloring takes the show’s design and filters it through that vintage lens a bit, making it brighter, and just a bit more basic.  It works well, and it’s unique and eye-catching.  The stuff that’s there is well applied and clean, and what’s overlooked is consistent with how vintage Kenner figures would have been handled.  The Armorer is packed with both her tongs and her large hammer, both of which she can hold with relative ease.  They’re oversized, and slightly tweaked in terms of shaping, making them accurately inaccurate, if that makes any sense.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Armorer’s design is one of the first season’s coolest looks.  Of all the season 1 characters I wanted to see them circle back around to after the initial assortment, she was definitely the highest on the list.  There’s definitely something very classic about this look, and it translates exceptionally well to this style.  She’s probably the best figure in this assortment, honestly.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3137: Imperial Death Trooper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

IMPERIAL DEATH TROOPER

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“Elite soldiers, death troopers are encased in specialized stormtrooper armor with a dark, ominous gleam. They serve as bodyguards and enforcers for figureheads like Moff Gideon”

Introduced in Rogue One as Director Krennic’s personal elite squad, the Imperial Death Troopers wound up repurposed a couple of times, first as Thrawn’s guards, and once more, in a post-Original Trilogy set as the forces of The Mandalorian‘s big bad Moff Gideon, at least until he got his own specially-tailored set of troops in the form of the Dark Troopers.  With an increased visibility from a handful of additional live-action appearances, they’re also getting more toy coverage, including in the form of a retro-style figure, which I’ll be taking a look at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Imperial Death Trooper is part of the six-figure second Mando-themed series of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  The figure stands just over 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 4 points of articulation.  Like the vintage Stormtroopers, the Death Trooper lacks a neck joint.  It’s not great from a posing standpoint, but it’s great from an accuracy standpoint, since that’s how they would have done in the early days, especially if you go by the Death Trooper being from a pre-ANH spot in the timeline, and, thereby being an easy re-pack for The Mandalorian, much like the Stormtrooper figures were during both ESB and ROTJ.  Very meta.  In that sense, the figure’s sculpt is a little more rudimentary than some of the others in the set.  It’s quite stiff and a bit more geometric, which all feels very appropriate for the style.  The figure’s paint is pretty simple.  He’s largely just molded in black, but with some green for the helmet, and silver on the belt.  Again, it follows the style, mimicking how Vader’s paint was handled by Kenner.  The Death Trooper was packed with his own unique blaster rifle.  He can only hold it one-handed, of course, but it’s at least a good piece.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Death Trooper isn’t really an essential part of any collection for me, and was probably the lowest on the list for this particular set of figures.  That said, I was already picking up the rest of the set, and didn’t see much point passing on just the one.  He’s still not my favorite, or anything, but I do quite like him.  I dig them really tying him into the vintage Stormtrooper stylings.  And, he gives me hope that we might also see some Shoretroopers in this style at some point, which would make me quite happy.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3136: The Mandalorian – Beskar

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

THE MANDALORIAN — BESKAR

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“The Mandalorian, known to a few as Din Djarin, is a battle-worn bounty hunter, making his way through a dangerous galaxy in an uncertain age”

A little over a year ago, I took a look at Hasbro’s first batch of truly new figures in their Retro Collection line, inspired by The Mandalorian.  The figures were a pretty impressive set, and did a solid job of working as a believable continuation of the vintage line.  A year later, we’ve got a follow-up to that set of figures, this time with a focus on the show’s second season.  Headlining the second assortment is another version of the title character, this time decked out in his full-Beskar armor from later in the show’s run.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Mandalorian (Beskar) is the first of the six figures that make up the second Mando-themed series of Star Wars: Retro Collection, officially the fourth series within the wider Retro Collection set-up.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s based on Mando’s look on the show post-Season 1 finale, as signified by the presence of the jetpack on his back.  The head on this one appears to be shared with the prior Mando, but beyond that he’s all-new, as every part is at least slightly different from the prior release.  While the previous Mando went a little earlier in the vintage line for his basis, this one is clearly going for a later in the Jedi line-style look, which is very much appropriate for what a potential vintage one would have looked like, given where the show falls in the overall timeline.  His build is a little thicker, and the details are a little sharper, all without quite being at modern standards.  Also, he’s actually got the cloth cape this time around, correcting the one notable “inaccuracy” of the last release.  The figure’s paint work is more reserved than the last release, but it’s pretty good.  The application is nice and clean, and all of the important elements are present.  As with the last Mando, this one is packed with both a long rifle and a blaster pistol, which appear to be the same pieces as the first time around.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I very much enjoyed the first series of these, and was immediately ready to grab more.  I was definitely happy about these getting announced.  The Beskar version of Mando isn’t exceedingly new, or anything, but I like that they’ve gone for different vintages in how the two designs were interpreted.  The end result turned out really well, and makes for a good starting point for the rest of the set.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3120: Death Watch Mandalorian

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

DEATH WATCH MANDALORIAN

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“An extremist clan that attempted to take over Mandalore during the Clone Wars, the Death Watch Mandalorians are tenacious warriors embracing the ancient traditions of their people”

The first “mainstream” follow-up to Boba and Jango Fett in terms of depictions of the Mandalorians in Star Wars was in The Clone Wars, where the terrorist group the Death Watch appeared as antagonists of the Republic forces, attempting to take Mandalore back to its warrior roots.  The Watch took on a number of different forms over the course of the series, as they took over control of Mandalore, and eventually had their own splintering following Darth Maul’s machinations within the Watch.  Though the Watch are classically seen as antagonistic, The Mandalorian casts a slightly different light on them, placing them in the role of a young Din Djarin’s savior’s during the Clone Wars.  Well, at least one of them, anyway.  Since their appearance in the flashbacks in Season 1, the live action incarnation of the Death Watch has been slowly finding its way into toy form.  Today, I’m taking a look at the Black Series version.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Death Watch Mandalorian is figure 21 in the Mando-sub-set of Phase IV of The Black Series.  He’s both the final Mando themed figure in this assortment, as well as the final overall figure in the assortment.  He’s the fifth army builder to come out of The Mandalorian, as well as the third time we’ve gotten some form of Mando Warrior army builder in Black Series.  He’s based on the Mando that saves Din during his flashback in the Season 1 finale, but all of the other Mandos in that sequence appear to be wearing the same armor, so it works as any of them, really.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  His articulation structure is about what you’d expect for an armored figure in the modern incarnation of the line.  He’s got quite of mobility, and can generally pose pretty nicely.  There’s a little bit of restriction at the shoulders and hips, but other than that, everything’s pretty great.  This figure is sporting an all-new sculpt.  At first glance, he appears to share the head/helmet with Boba, but this one’s actually a single solid piece, with no actual underlying head.  There’s a chin and such sculpted under there, but it’s not fully designed.  I suppose there’s no real need for it to be a separate piece if there’s no chance of ever taking it off.  The rest of the body sculpt is pretty nicely handled.  The armor plates are separate pieces mounted in place, which gives it a nice, properly assembled feel.  The paint work on the Death Watch Mando is a decent set-up.  He’s much cleaner than a lot of Mandos, but that’s accurate to what we see on-screen; guess they had more time for armor upkeep in those days.  It’s a cool color scheme, which is rather unique.  I very much dig all of the blues.  The figure is packed with a larger blaster rifle and a small blaster pistol, which are both pretty fun pieces, as well as a jet-pack, which appears to be an all-new one, different from the others we’ve seen.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I dug the Death Watch look during Clone Wars, and I definitely dug the updated version of the design that showed up in The Mandalorian.  Given it’s short appearance, I wasn’t expecting to see it show up particularly soon, but it’s also not something I thought was entirely unlikely.  I liked the Clone Wars version that came out in 2020, but it was built on an old mold, so I was glad to see the all-new version show up here.  He’s a really solid, really fun figure, showcasing all of the advancements that Hasbro’s worked into this line in the last few years.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3119: The Client

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

THE CLIENT

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“A mysterious Imperial who keeps a low profile in a safehouse on Nevarro, the Client is the face behind an otherwise faceless bounty, an off-the-record assignment with a high value”

Yesterday, I discussed one of the instances of The Mandalorian bringing back characters from elsewhere within the franchise, but how about all those new characters it introduced?  During the first season, we got quite a few new recurring characters.  Showing up in the first episode and remaining confined to the show’s first year was “The Client,” a mysterious, unnamed former Imperial played by Werner Herzog.  Though certainly not one of the show’s action-oriented characters, he nevertheless added a distinctive quality to all of his scenes, which helped to really sell the show as its own thing early in its run.  And, surprising everyone, now he’s an action figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Client is figure 20 in the Mandalorian sub-set of Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation.  He’s the second of the three Mando figures in this particular assortment.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is more on the restricted side compared to the rest of the assortment, but it’s kind of sensible, given that he’s by far the least action-y of the bunch.  He’s still got more than enough mobility to pull any of the poses you’d really need from him…well, apart from sitting down, since the jacket doesn’t really allow for that.  The Client’s sculpt is all-new, based on his look in the show.  The real selling point, of course, is the Herzog likeness, which is pretty strong.  Not quite 100% there, but close enough to be recognizable in context.  The body replicates his outfit from the show pretty nicely.  There’s a lot of texturing, and a few separate pieces, which gives him a lot of rather nice depth to his design.  The Client’s paint work is generally pretty decent.  As with most of the Black Series, he’s on the drab side, but appropriately so.  The one thing I’m really not big on is the flesh tone paint on the bald spot, which is rather jarring compared to the molded skin tone on the rest of the head.  I’m sure there’s a production reason for the choice, but it just looks weird as is.  The Client is packed with a tracking fob, a camtono (aka the icecream maker), and two stacks of Beskar.  The camtono is actually a really cool piece, with a removable lid and opening panels on the sides.  Absolutely thrilled to have this prop in this scale.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Client is one of those figures that I didn’t really think I needed before he was announced, and even after his announcement I was kind of 50/50.  But, upon seeing him in person, and seeing the cool accessory selection, I decided to jump on him.  He’s not the most thrilling figure, I suppose, but he’s well done for a non-action-y sort of guy, and when else are we going to get a Werner Herzog action figure, right?

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3118: Ahsoka Tano

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

AHSOKA TANO

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“A Clone Wars veteran and now wandering Jedi, Ahsoka Tano forges her own path in the galaxy, righting injustices that she discovers”

Shifting the Black Series focus a bit for today, I’m moving from The Bad Batch forward in the timeline to the post-OT world of The Mandalorian.  While the first season was largely populated by characters original to the show, the second season saw a number of returning faces from elsewhere in the franchise.  Continuing her role as the connective tissue of the Star Wars TV shows is Ahsoka Tano, who serves as Din and Grogu’s first contact in the wider Jedi world.  She’s subsequently re-appeared in The Book of Boba Fett, and is slated for her own series next year.  She’s no stranger to toys, of course, but she’s just recently gotten a whole swath of live action-inspired figures, including a Black Series release, which I’m taking a look at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ahsoka Tano is figure 19 in the Mandalorian sub-set of Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation, the first of the three Mando figures in the second assortment of 2022.  The figure stands 5 3/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Ahsoka’s articulation scheme is actually a pretty impressive set-up, all things considered.  The legs, specifically at the hips and knees, have been designed to allow for a very wide range of motion, while also still maintaining the cohesion of the sculpt.  It’s a careful balance, but one that works out very well here.  There are some restrictions in a few spots, of course, notably on the neck, due to the head tails, but given the overall nature of the design, it’s commendable that they got it working as well as they did.  Ahsoka’s sculpt is an all-new one, and it’s a strong one at that.  The likeness on the face is a solid recreation of Rosario Dawson in the role, and the body sculpt is realistically proportioned and has some really sharp texturing and detailing.  Ahsoka’s paint work is generally pretty basic for the line.  The printing on the face makes her suitably lifelike, and they’ve done a nice job with the markings on her face and head tails.  The body gets all the basics.  Nothing really crazy; just some blues and greys.  The application is cleanly handled for the most part, though there are a few spots on my figure where some of the masks were clearly a bit misaligned.  In particular, her right wrist bracer’s greys are off by just a bit, making the whole thing look oddly shaped.  Ahsoka is packed with her two lightsabers.  The blades are removable, and the hilts can be hung from her belt.  It’s definitely on the lighter side, but it’s also about what’s expected from this line.  I can’t really think of anything else she could really get, apart from maybe a soft goods cloak.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I enjoyed Ahsoka’s reappearance on The Mandalorian, and I really dug Rosario Dawson in the role, so, despite her only being minorly different from the other Black Series Ahsoka I have (on the outside, at least), I was still interested in seeing what Hasbro could do with the updated design.  She works really well.  I dig the new articulation set-up a lot, and I think this design works pretty well for the format.  Of the two Black Series Ahsokas I have, this one’s definitely my favorite.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3117: Omega – Kamino

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

OMEGA — KAMINO

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Born and confined to the cloning facility on Kamino, young Omega serves as assistant to Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se. Offered an opportunity to escape, Omega joins the Bad Batch on their adventure”

Let’s just keep this Black Series week going, continuing off of yesterday’s specifically Bad Batch focus, with another member of that particular team.  I noted yesterday that the team got two additional members after their initial appearance.  The first was Echo, the clone they rescued during their mission in The Clone Wars.  For their own show, they took fellow “defective” clone Omega under their wing.  In light of losing one of their members to Order 66, Omega winds up stepping into a far more integral role for the team as a whole, and is in many ways the focal point of the show.  Season 2 looks to only be building on that more, so, you know, pretty important.  Certainly important enough to justify an action figure, and that’s what I’m looking at today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Omega is figure 10 in the Bad Batch sub-set of Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation, placing her before Echo chronologically, though they’re side by side in terms of actual release.  She’s the other of the two Bad Batch figures in the set, which makes sense.  The figure stands 4 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.  Quite an impressive selection of articulation for a figure as small as she is, and the range is all pretty solid too.  Omega is sporting an all-new sculpt, specifically based on her design from the earliest episodes of the show, when they’ve just fled Kamino.  It’s a good starting point for her, but also allows some room for additional designs later down the line.  Omaga is notable for being our first time getting a kid in this line…well, a human one, anyway.  Obviously, with their experience on smaller scale lines, Hasbro handles a smaller figure just fine, and it does a nice job of paving the way for young Anakin and Boba, should the demand be there.  The sculpt is pretty solid; she definite sticks close to the animation model, more like Hunter did.  It works a bit better here, since she’s already supposed to be a bit further removed from the others in terms of design anyway.  It captures the spirit of the character pretty well, and the details are all nice and sharp.  The paint work on Omega is nicely handled.  It’s a bit brighter and bolder than other figures in the line, which is a nice change of pace.  Omega is packed with her Zygerrian energy bow, rebreather mask, and Ruby, the pet lizard that the Batch transports.  The bow is only in its fully extended version, with no option to collapse, likely due to the logistics of making something like that work.  All of the accessories are rather on the simple side, but at least they help her to feel like a pretty decent value, even with the smaller stature of the core figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

You can’t really have the rest of the Batch without Omega.  I was quite a fan of Omega’s inclusion in the show, and I’d been hoping to see her turn up sooner than later.  I’m glad that she and Echo showed up together to fully round out the team in one swoop.  Obviously, there’s some room for more variants with more stuff, but this figure’s a good start, and rounds out the line-up very nicely.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3116: Echo

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

ECHO

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Echo was a soldier in the Grand Army of the Republic, known for his strict adherence to orders and rules — hence, his nickname, which was sarcastically gifted by his clone brothers”

After a lengthy period of virtually no Black Series stuff to review at all, I’m suddenly finding myself with a bit of a surplus of them, which is certainly far from the worst thing.  So, how about a whole week of them?  I’m picking back up with yet another addition to the titular team of last year’s The Bad Batch.  While all four of the initial members were covered last year, over the course of their Clone Wars arc and their own show, they picked up a few auxiliary members as well.  The Batch’s first mission concerns locating Echo, a member of the Domino Squad who was presumed dead during the events of “The Citadel.”  The Clone Wars Season 7 revealed that Echo had survived, but in a heavily wounded state, which left him with extensive cybernetic replacements, and more than a little bit of trauma.  After being rescued, Echo joined up with Clone Force 99, and served as a full-fledged member for their own show.  He got a pretty kick-ass new design in the process, and that’s always fun for toys.  Let’s check out how that went.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Echo is figure 11 in the Bad Batch sub-set of Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation.  He’s one of two Bad Batch figures in this specific assortment, and the whole bunch of them are technically the second assortment of the year, and are just starting to trickle out to retail now.  The figure stands a little over 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  His articulation is largely the same as the other Batch members, minus the wrist joint on the right arm for obvious reasons.  Additionally, the hip joints are a bit more restricted here, due to the rubber kama, though I did find them a bit more mobile than I’d expected at first glance.  As far as construction goes, Echo has a bit of re-use, with the legs being the same as the updated clone body, albeit with a new set of knee pads.  Beyond that, Echo is an all-new sculpt.  He’s closer to Tech in terms of how he adapts the show design, removing it a little bit more from the animation design, in order to keep it closer the the main line’s more realistic style.  He still retains all of the major design elements, just a little more realistic, which works out pretty well.  I really dig all of the texturing and small detail work, as well as the fact that they’ve actually kept him a little more svelte than the rest of the team, as he was always depicted post-rescue.  Like the rest of the team, Echo gets a removable helmet, though it’s a bit more of an accomplishment this time than the other team members.  On the show, Echo’s built-in headgear actually interfaces with his helmet, in a way that’s such a cheat that they never actually show him taking off the helmet on screen from any angle other than straight ahead (i.e. the angle that doesn’t actually show how the parts interface).  I was honestly expecting either just an alternate head, or some sort of a tweaked design for either the helmet or the head.  Hasbro actually did a pretty solid job of making it work, in almost exactly the way it should work, as seen on screen.  Echo’s paint work is pretty much on par with the rest of the team.  The paint on the face is convincingly lifelike, and there’s some respectable wear and tear on the upper armor.  Echo is packed with his helmet, back pack, a blaster pistol, and a grapple attachment for his right arm.  The pistol can be stowed on his left side, which is appropriate, but he’s unfortunately still without a trigger finger on the left hand, so he can’t quite hold it right.  The grapple is a fun piece overall, but there’s no actual line connecting the two pieces.  It still works as a cool power arm looking thing, though.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

With the core Batch completed earlier this year, I was definitely very excited to get to the add-ons.  Echo is a character I liked from his first appearance way back in Clone Wars, and I loved seeing his character arc evolve through Bad Batch.  His updated design is one of my favorites from the team, and I think it made the jump to toy really, really well.

Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review.  If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.